SoulBound
by ty1967
Summary: A childhood story, left unfinished, will now be picked up once again as a young rose meets a teen with a hell of a story to tell. Oh and there;s the fact that she died, and ended up tied to him by the soul... Join team RWBY and JNPR as they get thrown into an adventure of a lifetime, and watch the rekindling of a long lost friendship that left a rose with sharp thorns... I'M BAAACK


**Disclaimer: Look at my last story, I'm too lazy to say that Rooster teeth owns RWBY, and that I just have the story and my OC's… oh wait.**

 **As most of you know… This is basically a new and improved version of my previous story: The Wolf with Three Souls… I am going to be keeping the basic plotline that I had created for that story, just changing things up, like the removal of the POV setup that I had because it was too much trouble to implement other characters, and also changing some things about the characters that I have and will create. The plot is going to change as well, even though I'm still keeping the basic plotline. Thank you to all the people who supported my last story, and I hope that you'll like this fanfic even more. So… without further interruptions…**

 **Welcome to Soulbound.**

* * *

" _Don't leave me!" Her voice sounded out against the roaring flames that surrounded the duo. "You promised you would never leave me, a-and I don't know what to do anymore!" Tears streamed down her cheeks as she watched the boy turn his back on her._

" _I'm sorry, but I have to go. If not then you'll die too. And I can't have that. I promise you though, I will find you again, and I will make up for this. Until then…" He turned around to face her as the fire started to engulf him, taking him away from her for an unknown amount of time._

" _Live for me. Okay Ruby?" She snapped, and screamed as the boy walked away after mouthing words that she couldn't remember. She screamed his name until he disappeared from her sight, and then continued until she couldn't breathe anymore. She couldn't lose him too! He was the only thing she had left. So she continued to call for him even after she realised that he wouldn't come back. She called out for him even when the police and fire services came. She shouted his name out even as Yang and her dad took her away. She screamed until her voice couldn't handle it. Even as his last words that she remembered stayed fresh in her mind._

" _Live for me, okay Ruby?"_

" _DALE!"_

She woke up screaming his name once more, even after all the years that she had lived. She went to Signal, and rose up to the challenge of becoming a huntress. She vowed to make sure that no one else would suffer the way she did, and promised the boy who left her that she would definitely live on for him.

That didn't stop the nightmares. And that didn't stop her wanting him to come back.

"DALE!" Her voice sounded out in the night, waking up her team mates. Yang instantly went into action, jumping off of her bed and moving towards their side of the dorm. Jumping up onto the rocking bed, she held on to Ruby, letting her scream out her anguish.

"It's okay Ruby, he'll be back, I know he will." Yang repeatedly said as she rubbed Ruby's back and let her sorrows flow out in tears. "Y-Yang." She wheezed as she continued to cry. Weiss had gotten out of bed, visibly concerned for her leader and the state she appeared to be in. Blake was sitting up in her bed, her amber eyes locked only on the siblings. Ruby didn't register any of that, she was too busy trying to calm herself down. Her sobs calmed down to small whimpers, and her body stopped shaking, but tears still continued to pour down her pale face. Yang never moved an inch, but her eyes held all that she wanted to say. Blake's eye's widened as Yang glanced at her. She spoke her every thought without even opening her mouth, knowing that Blake would understand. Blake wanted to ask what exactly was going on, but Yang quickly turned away as Ruby started to speak.

"Y-Yang, I remember…" Yang looked down at her, not knowing what the young rose meant. "What do you mean sis?" Ruby tensed. "His very last words, I think I know what he said." Yang smiled, as Ruby seemed at peace for the moment. "What were they?" Ruby looked up at her, a grin present even though she just screamed her heart out.

"I'll see you soon, my little rose."

* * *

Sharp breaths.

Wave after wave of blood, sweat and tears.

Screeching metal.

Untold amounts of screams reverberating in the hallways.

Pounding footsteps.

The impending doom that was rapidly approaching him.

All of these things assaulted him as he cut down whoever stood in his way. His weapons had long since been gone, but the weapons of his enemies would suffice until he reached his goal. A lance surged forward, aiming straight for his right eye. Ducking under, he jabbed forward with one of the swords he had stolen before it all went to hell. A grin took over the grimace that seemed to be permanently set on his mouth as the blade sank into the victim's chest. Blood coated him as he left the sword in the soldier and yanked the lance out of his hands. As the soldier fell to the ground, he span around to look behind him and threw it as hard as he could into someone else's eye.

 _Special delivery from one of your own mates!_

Shaking that thought out of his corrupt mind, he sprinted forward and grabbed a gun off of an unsuspecting soldier's belt. It was a three round burst pistol, with high velocity bullets that were sure to penetrate through any wall possible. The red dust that coated the bullets made sure that they caused a small explosion when they stopped moving. How? He'll never know and never care. All he knew was that it was effective when blowing people's heads to smithereens. As he ran past the soldier, he saw a wave of them running around the corner. Deciding that enough was enough, he slowed down and started bringing the gun up. The soldiers that had just appeared showed no sign of slowing down.

 _You forced my hand…_

His breathing slowed. Every footstep of the soldiers running at him, every cry of anger and bloodlust died down to a whisper as he focused on his aim. The rapidly approaching men seemed to slow down to a turtle's pace. Exhaling, he aimed for the head of the closest soldier.

 _Gotta conserve ammo… This is going to be bloody._

With that thought, he took a breath…

And pulled the trigger.

As soon as the first bullet left the chamber, he focused on another head to account for the three round burst. Constantly pulling the trigger, he ran forward and moved the gun wildly. A split second later, and the first three people fell to the ground, most of their heads splattered on their comrades, the floor or the walls. Then the others started falling like flies. Blood, bone and brain fell down on and around him as he ran through the dying soldiers. Blood caked his figure, and he slipped multiple times whilst running. Soon, the tell-tale click of an empty clip rang in his ears along with the screams of the soldiers as they watched a formidable defence reduced to headless bodies due to one teen and one gun. Grinning, he sprinted forward and grabbed a couple of swords from the corpses littering the floor around him. He then started sprinting again, ready to carve through whoever stood in his way.

Another group of soldiers came running at him, except they were holding guns and not swords or lances or whatever else that could impale him. He knew he had to pull out all the stops to reach his goal, so he sped up, ready to charge through them. To ensure he got through unscathed, he reached deep within his soul and called upon an ability that was forced onto him through painful methods. Feeling raw power channel through his veins, he focused on the specific energy, the specific root that would benefit him the most. Soon all he could feel was a deep, cold energy, one that seemed impenetrable. Slowing down to a walk, he held out his hand and watched a blue aura with a black outline surround his hand.

 _The semblance of defence… This is gunna be fun!_

With that, he calmly walked into the barrage of bullets that came speeding towards him. He watched as they bounced off the aura that surrounded him and settled on the bloody ground. The amount of bullets that came flying at him in droves came to an end, with one stubborn fool firing one last shot at his head. He stood still and watched the bullet bounce off of his aura, and fall to the ground, useless. Chuckling, he carried on running, barging past the people who failed to kill him…

 _Again. Failed to kill me again. You should just give up._

"Hey! Pretty boy! Yeah you, the one who shot me last!" He finally spoke, his rough, unused voice echoing in the bloody hallway. A soldier holding a measly pistol dropped to the ground, shaking in fear. "Ah, so it was you, huh?" The soldier looked up at the one speaking as he put his hands up. The one in control of the situation knelt down next to the petrified soldier. "Where. Is. She?" His tongue was dripping in venom and malice. The soldier didn't answer. Growling and letting go of the sword in his right hand, he grabbed the gun and pinned the barrel against his head. "Three seconds." Simple words, but the meaning behind them made the soldier's eyes widen. "Three…" His grip on the gun tightened. "Two…" His voice became deeper as his finger rested on the trigger. "One…" excruciatingly slowly, the trigger was being pulled. "Ze-" He was interrupted.

"SHE'S DOWN THE HALL AND TO THE LEFT!" The soldier screamed out the directions, then fell over sobbing. "Good soldier, I'll keep you alive for that one…" The boy rose up.

And then he pulled the trigger.

"..For another second at least." He laughed, then carried on walking.

 _That was for number 71, you asshats._

He broke into a sprint, intent on following the soldier's directions. The soldiers stayed behind him, all frozen with fear and surprise at how he survived that barrage of bullets. That gave the unknown beast enough time to barrel down the hallway the soldier pointed out.

 _I don't want to murder anymore…_

He carried on sprinting, weaving past the small squads of soldiers that came at him every now and then.

 _No more… Yet no matter where I go, I have to._

A sword driven by his hand landed in the chest of another one of his prey.

 _It's gotten to the point where their screams are what passes as music for me._

A single tear slid down his blood covered cheek, turning red with all the sin he committed.

 _And it's all her fault._

His speed increased.

 _It's all her fault._

His eyes darkened with the need for more blood.

 _It's all her fault!_

His already laboured breathing became erratic as he powered through to his goal.

 _IT'S ALL HER FAULT!_

He slammed through the door to a fateful meeting, and a new chapter.

"TIME TO DIE!"

* * *

The shattered moon reflected light on the silent forest, its pure light revealing all to those who had a view. Like the one who stood out on the Cliffside. Her cloak became the wind's plaything as her ever watchful eyes took in all they could. She shivered, and a frosty breath escaped her parted dry lips. Her pale skin blended in with the soft blanket of snow around her. Too bad her outfit didn't. She patted down her combat skirt, and then span on one foot to walk into the forest. Her hood shrouded her face in darkness, but no one could miss the silver glint from her pupils as a smile graced her lips.

 _I'm probably going to get killed for being this long… Welp, it's not by an ursa at least!_

She felt the need to escape, and to get away from everyone, especially after her little 'episode' that she had earlier that night. Now she had cooled down, and had gotten herself back together. She promised her sister that she would be back within an hour, but the urge to walk overtook her. She stopped, and watched a snow white wolf pad along the ground in front of her.

 _Pretty…_

The only movement you saw from her was the slow rise of her chest as she took in deep breaths, and the constant flow of visible breath that left her body. The wolf stuck its head up, and looked around. Eventually, black locked on to silver. She stopped breathing, feeling trapped under the wolf's gaze even though she had a sniper scythe sheathed on her person.

Then the wolf ran.

Confused as to why the wolf ran so quickly, the girl followed. Ducking and weaving under all the snow covered branches, the girl kept up with the wolf.

 _Is it leading me?_

She shook that thought from her head, and jumped over a fallen tree to keep up. After barely keeping up with the wolf, she stumbled into a clearing. The wolf sat in the middle, its tail wagging slowly, but just enough to be a force against the playful wind. The teenage girl ran a hand through her hair.

"Why here?" She wondered aloud as she looked around the clearing. Looking back to where the wolf sat, she was greeted with a gust of white petals, and snow. The wolf had disappeared. A single howl was caught by her ears. One howl turned into two. Two into five. Five into ten. Ten into an untold amount. As the howls reached her ears, a beowolf jumped into the clearing. And another. And another. Soon she was surrounded by a pack. A grin was seen on the girl's face, as she reached behind her and under her cloak. As the pack advanced towards her, she pulled out a metal rectangular block. Flicking her arm out, the block extended into a thick rod. Grasping this, she twirled it around. Using her other hand, she twisted it around her body and let the rod transform into a weapon of mass destruction. A couple of shifts were heard behind her as she carried on letting her weapon unfold. Bringing it out in front of her, she let the blade slam into the ground. She stood there, with one hand on her scythe. Grabbing a clip off of her belt, she slid it into a slot on her scythe, and then cocked the weapon. The beowolves were sprinting towards her now. Crouching, she got ready to fight.

 _This is gunna be fun… BRING IT!_

The boy slammed into the metal wall behind him. He cried out in agony as his aura couldn't protect his arm that took the brunt of the hit. He heard a snap, then felt searing white hot pain flow through his right arm. After landing roughly on the floor, he sat up and cradled his arm.

"You bitch, I'm gunna kill you!" He grunted through laboured breaths. His body was battered and bruised, and you couldn't tell how much blood was his or those he killed earlier. His already messed up outfit was destroyed completely. What used to be a normal t-shirt lay in tatters that showed more skin than it covered. His once black jeans were now red, and looked like knee length shorts instead. He didn't have shoes or socks on in the first place, but they would have probably been destroyed in the heat of the battle. Drawing in on his aura once more, the teen felt for a new root. A root that felt light, and alive, like water from a spring, compared to the cold, hard root that held the semblance of defence. A green tint mixed with his blue aura, and his arm shone with a divine light. When the light faded, his arm was usable again, and the pain had lessened to a dull throb.

 _The semblance of healing… I definitely owe you… 40._

"You're going to do what, boy?" A rich voice was heard in the air. The teen flinched just from hearing it. "Kill me? You can't even stand up." Her silky voice turned into a cackle of insanity and amusement. Wanting to defy every word that came out of her mouth, the boy struggled onto his feet. Swaying slightly, he stood, his once broken arm held out as he flipped her off. "What was that?" He grinned, holding that tiny victory. His grin became a grimace, then a yell as a wave of fire washed over him again. "D-damn it! I just want out, but you screwed everything up!" The boy shouted after the fire died down and he could think straight again.

 _I can't hold out for much longer… But I have to try!_

He charged forward, bringing forward one of the two swords he picked up during his last fight before now. Aiming straight for the heart of the woman, he lashed out. The woman leaned back, letting her death miss her once again. Growling, the boy carried on swinging wildly with his stolen swords. She ducked, weaved and dodged effortlessly past all the swings of death that came from the raging ball of emotion that charged her. Whilst she wasn't getting hit, she was getting pushed back. Noticing this, the boy pushed harder. After ducking under another ill-placed swing, the woman moved back to meet the wall. Using the momentum of the swing, he swung his other sword forward and planted it in the metal right next to her head. Trapped, the fire woman could only stare into the black vortex that was his iris.

Then she grinned.

Another wave of fire erupted from her hands. Slamming into the boy, he was launched backwards and into another wall. Blood coated the wall after forcing its way out of a wound in his back. Sliding down, the boy landed in a sitting position, his back still against the wall. Walking towards him, the woman grinned. "Now, who did you call a bitch exactly?" She knelt down in front of him, roughly grabbing his face. "Bite me." The boy spat at her. She cackled again. "Oh I knew there was a reason why you was my favourite!" She let go of her face, and placed a finger on his chest. "But…" A searing pain erupted from where her finger came into contact with. "I'll do much worse than bite." She spoke with fiery venom dripping from her sharp teeth as she dragged her finger down his scarred chest.

 _I… won't… scream!_

The boy gritted his teeth as the woman continued her torture.

* * *

 _There's too many!_

She swung her scythe round and carved through two attacking beowolves. She had already lost track of how many fell to her blade, but when one fell, two more took its place. Jumping back, she surveyed the scene. Decomposing bodies littered the clearing. She couldn't focus on them though, as howling beowolves ran past them. She could feel the bloodlust in the air. Bringing her scythe behind her back, she got ready to charge into the fray once again. Sliding forward, she stuck her scythe behind her and shot, using the recoil to push herself forward even faster. A beowolf jumped at her, clawing for her throat. Leaning back, she gracefully slid under the claw, watching as it swung over her face. She then brought her scythe upwards, slicing the beast in half.

Jumping up, she swung her weapon around to carve through more of the swarming beowolves. Jumping back, she brought her scythe down in the snow in front of her, and started to shoot at all the beasts in front of her. One by one, they fell, but more took their place.

"Why! Won't! This! End! Already!" She shouted as she cocked her scythe after each shot.

Then things started to fall apart.

She felt the cold air touch her back slightly, and then pain erupt on her back as she started to bleed. A beowolf had snuck up behind her and attacked her blind spot. Luckily she was moving after pulling the pin back in her weapon, otherwise the beowolf would have been much more accurate. Pulling the scythe out of the ground, she swung for the Grimm, decapitating it. Then she ran towards the edge of the clearing, hoping to get out of the fight. Just as she reached the edge, though, a beowolf slammed into her, sending her back towards the middle of the clearing. She felt the cold touch of snow glide across her cut, and nearly screamed. Getting up, she looked to see a circle of beowolves surrounding her.

"Oh no…" Taking out her clip, she reloaded with one of her X marked clips. Pulling the pin, and cocking her scythe, she held it behind her, ready to jump into the fray once more.

"AAAAAAAAAARRRRRGGGGHHHH!" He screamed out as she jumped away with laughter. His clothes were all non-existent, barely covering his privates. He didn't notice as he struggled to stand up.

"You're still standing! Wow you're fun!" She giggled as she twirled fire around her index finger. His leg shook as he nearly fell over. Directing a little more aura into his leg, he drew in on the light root that felt like clear flowing water within a forest. His leg glowed blue and green as it started to heal.

"I owe her… I'll keep my promise, I swear." He whispered as he relished on the feeling of bliss. She giggled again, her flame becoming bigger. "Come and get me pretty boy." She spoke seductively, sticking her hip out to the side and placing a hand on her breast. This only served to anger him further, as he was tired of being her plaything. "Die die die!" He screamed as he sprinted towards her. He jumped and got ready to swing…

Just to see a blur smash into her.

"Darlin' you might want to clean your hallways up."

He landed and rolled to look at the new figure that was crouched on the ground. After inspecting him, the teen's eyes widened. "Why are you here!?" He shouted out towards the figure as they finally stood up. "Simple, boy. To save your dumb ass. You could have killed less by the way" He slurred as he nearly fell over again. Obviously in a drunken state, he pointed his sword towards the fallen woman. "Oh, and to take her out." The boy simply facepalmed as he stared towards the drunkard before him. "I told you not to follow me!" Instead of answering him, the man threw a pair of scimitars and gloves towards the boy. "And you're gunna charge in without your weapons? And don't worry about your last one, I'ma hold onto it for now, k?" The man hiccupped after speaking, and turned back towards the woman who was waiting for the man to finally pay attention to her. "I don't care about that! I wanna know why!" He shouted at the man, whilst preparing his weapons to fight once more.

"Why Qrow!?"

The old man smiled, his orange eyes glinting in the light that was cast upon him by the woman's now burning flame.

"Because you made a promise to a little rose I know…"

"Dale."

Her back was in agony, as her aura worked overtime to heal her wounds. She sliced through Grimm after Grimm as she tried to put some distance between her and the horde. Jumping and backflipping, she brought her blade back up and around her body to slice through whatever Grimm that were surrounding her. Landing back on the ground, she stared as the Beowolves circled her again. Her ammo stockpile was exhausted, and she only had half of a clip left. Her body was covered in scratches and bites and her clothes were in pieces, even her hood. Losing her strength at a steady rate, she collapsed to her knees, watching the Beowolves close in on her still body. Fishing around in her pocket, she pulled out a postcard. On the front of it was a picture of Ruby and Dale back when they were kids. Ruby had jumped on his back, and they were both caught mid laugh. The picture had been taken by Qrow, who was the one that sent the postcard. Turning it over, she read the message one last time, before dropping letting the card fall.

 _Hey runt, I heard some news about wolf boy. He's still alive Ruby. I promised you I will find him, and that's what I plan to do. So stay alive until then, okay? Keep your promise. I'll talk to you about it soon. Have fun in Beacon, okay?_

 _Love Qrow._

 _PS. Tell Ozpin he owes me a drink, will ya?_

Getting back up onto her feet, she prepared to keep her promise.

"I promised him I'd live for him. That's what I'm gunna do!" Bringing her scythe behind her, she got ready to fight for her life once more. The beowolves howled with glee at the fact that their target still had some life in them. Then the first one charged. She swung her scythe around and decapitated it, then used the momentum of her swing to continue spinning, slowly creating a tornado of death. A group of beowolves jumped for her, but were sliced apart from the quick moving scythe. She had built an amazing defence, by creating a startling offense. Drawing in on whatever aura she had left, she activated her semblance, allowing her to push her speed forwards and direct her movements. She slammed through beowolf after beowolf, before slipping and losing her grip on her scythe. She rolled towards the edge of the clearing, and her scythe was embedded into a tree. The beowolves surrounded her, and moved in once more. Ruby was too weak to even speak, let alone feel fear from her imminent death. Her thoughts went to her sister and her team at beacon, who were probably out looking for her. Her friends that she had made. Her family who waited at home for her updates in her crazy life.

Her thoughts went out to her childhood best friend. The one she had lost, and promised to live for. She remembered the adventures they had, and the times that Yang fell out of the tree every time the two climbed up one to look out at the stars. She remembered the time that Dale got covered in whipped cream after a food fight that her mother started when she threw a messed up pancake at her dad. She grinned at the beowolves as she remembered exactly who he was, and hopefully still is.

 _That brave wolf Faunus who fell on me at the festival. The one who changed my life. Thank you, Dale. And…_

A tear slipped out as her brain registered that she was about to die.

 _I'm sorry._

The beowolf struck.

* * *

 _It's over._

Dale was being held over the railing by a bleeding Cinder. An outraged look remained in her eyes as she prepared to kill her 'favourite' wolf Faunus. His limp tail had burned fur, and blood caking it. His ears were limp, and one of them was bleeding. The scorch marks on his chest were blacker than his normal fur, even if there was only one or two patches that were fully visible. The lacerations on his limbs seemed deeper than the breaths he was taking to try and provide his one working lung with the oxygen he needed.

 _I'm dying… and I don't even have a chance to come back from this._

"DALE!" Qrow shouted as he fought off the soldiers that forced their way in. An opening wasn't visible for him to run for Dale. Furious, Qrow attacked with an intent to force his way through and bring Dale back to his niece. "You have to see Ruby again Dale!" Qrow shouted as he spared a glance to the limp teen. He visibly tensed as Qrow mentioned Ruby. "B-but I can't win." Dale spluttered, and coughed up blood. Cinder grinned, glad at the fact that she had finally broken the teen.

"That's right wolf boy. You're all mine." She laughed, then winced as her side erupted into pain. "You, wolf, are number 72. My pawn. My favourite one no less. Apart from Mercury and Emerald, my number one and two." She rambled on, unaware that the dying boy was focusing on Qrow. He watched as Qrow tore through his enemies, but instead of trying to reach him, Qrow was heading to the stairs on the other side of the room from where Dale had busted in from. The room was a balcony, with Dale being hung over the edge. It was then that he realised that he was near beacon, and over forever fall right now.

"Qrow! Beacon's near, go for Ozpin and blow up whatever we're on!" Dale found his voice once more, but lost it as Cinder started squeezing his throat, choking the life out of his already weak body. Qrow span around in a circle, launching all of the soldiers surrounding him away.

"Then you go for Ruby!" Dale's eyes widened. "Don't win! Survive! I'll kick your ass if you don't!" He shouted as he tore through the last line of soldiers before making a break for it. Cinder focused on Qrow, before cursing in pain as Dale stabbed her with the swords that he still held onto. How Cinder didn't see that coming, he wouldn't know. If she was betting on the fact that he wouldn't due to fear of falling, she was wrong. He watched his prison get smaller as he fell towards a clearing in the forest below him. Drawing on the little bit of aura he had left, and on the root of defence, he shielded his back as he crashed into the ground, scattering whatever remained in the clearing.

 _I… I did it… I survived Qrow. And I'm free to find her once more. Thank you._

With that, he tried to get up. However, it was to no avail.

 _Huh? Why can't I… Oh no… No no no no no no NO!_

Dale wasn't moving. His chest wasn't rising and falling. No twitch could be seen. And no life could be shown if you looked into his dead eyes.

 _I can't be…_

 _I'M DEAD! NO! There's got to be some way out of this, I can't lose now, not when I can find her again!_

Dale's heart pulsed, even in the light of death, and a wave of dark blue light could be seen flowing out from it. Dale had landed in the centre of the clearing, and a circle of light was expanding from the focal point, that point being his heart. Dale's still, yet functioning brain prayed for someone to be within range.

The pulse reached the edge of the clearing. Part of it washed over a corpse. It was freshly torn apart, most likely from the claws of beowolves.

 _Damn… I can still feel their soul though… We're both dead. So why not just take the risk. Hopefully this person will help me get to Patch again._

The pulse of light flowed back into Dale's fresh corpse. Then a blinding blue light erupted from it, shooting off into the sky. Dale's wounds started to close, and broken bones knitted themselves back together. Excess blood which shouldn't be where it was ended up being disintegrated by the light, and the bone marrows worked overtime to provide for the lack of blood that he was left with. His skin reverted back to its normal colour, before _her_ torture, and his tail and ears regenerated its fur. His organs were all fixed, and functioning again, apart from his heart. The reason for this, is that deep within his heart lay his soul. And his soul was cracking. A blue form of light was being split into two. A small piece of his soul stayed as its original form, whilst the much larger piece darkened, reducing itself to a black and dark blue. As Dale's body healed, the piece of his soul that darkened became worse, and more light flowed into it. Reaching out to the corpse's soul, the corrupted piece of Dale's soul shot out of his heart, and out of his now healed body. It flew over to the upper part of the torn apart corpse, and flew in, aiming for the still heart that lay within. The heart was undamaged, but as Dale's corrupted soul entered it, a dark flash was emitted.

Within the corpse's heart lay their soul. It was a pure red soul, and looked like a bouquet of roses. Dale's corrupted soul moved towards it slowly, as a brash move to a fading soul can result in expulsion of the not exactly welcome visitor. Eventually, his soul came into contact with it, and the red soul flashed a brilliant light. Outside of the heart, and body, a brilliant red light could be seen shooting off into the sky, similar to what happened to Dale. The severed body became attracted to the other half, and as the two connected, a flash of light was seen coming from the cut. As it faded, the cut was gone, and the corpse was whole again. As the corpse's body re-arranged itself, the red soul began cracking, before splitting into two. The larger piece darkened as it was corrupted. A black and red piece was seen, a corrupted version of the smaller, pure red soul that remained. Dale's corrupt soul moved towards the pure piece of this unknown person's, and their corrupted piece left the non-functioning heart. The unknown person's corrupt soul flew off towards the instigator of this bizarre situation, that being Dale's heart. Flying in, the corrupted soul moved towards Dale's pure soul. Coming into contact with it, a bright light engulfed the two pieces, and the blue light that shot out from Dale's body had red flow into it, changing the pillar into a spiral of blue and red. The same thing happened to the light coming from Dale's saviour, as the two pieces within their heart connected. As the light died down in their hearts and outside their bodies, the connected pieces were seen as one fused soul. A duality. These two people were now connected with a bond like none other, which would be the beginning of a new story.

Or the continuation of one.

Their hearts started beating once more.

* * *

"Ruby!" Yang called out as she searched for her sister. Blake and Weiss were with her, calling out for her as well. The few Grimm that they had ran into were easily dispatched, but the lack of Grimm was startling. So they continued their search, walking into the forest of forever falls.

"Yang, why was Ruby screaming like that?" Weiss questioned the elder sister of her leader as they searched for said person. "And who is this Dale person?" She spoke, even as she watched Yang tense up.

"I have to say, I'm curious as well." Blake spoke up, showing her curiosity. Yang sighed, and walked at a slower pace.

"Dale was a childhood friend. He was with me and Ruby till she was about 8. He appeared out of nowhere, a small homeless wolf Faunus with no family and nothing to his name. It had all happened in Patch's annual summer festival. You have to come and see it with us when summer comes along. Anyway, Ruby had managed to get lost. Dale apparently had fallen on her when running from some guys after stealing some food from their stall. Before you judge him Weiss, he was five, and homeless, and alone. He expected to get abused by Ruby as well, but Ruby, being the sweet little sister she is, picked him up and told the men that she would pay for it as soon as she found her mom, dad and me. I still don't see how she convinced the men, but then again she always has been adorable. They told Ruby to bring them the money before sundown, so the two started racing to find me. They ran into me as I was talking to a guy who I liked. Ruby explained the situation and we went to find Summer, Ruby's mom and my step-mother. Then a whole night of hilarity happened, and Dale ended up sticking with us until we went home at some time in the morning. Ruby was asleep by then. Summer and dad offered Dale a place to stay for a while, which then led to three whole years with us. Those two created a bond like none other during that time, I was pretty sure they had fallen for each other, even at such a young age. They did everything together…" Yang fondly recalled past times, a smile visible on her face. Weiss and Blake stayed silent as they learned about why Ruby ran.

"Then Summer died. And Dale disappeared in a wave of fire. Ruby was the last one to see him and Summer. She constantly called out his name back then. And she has moments like tonight too. He promised that he'd see her again, so she's still waiting, but I don't thi-" Yang was interrupted by a pillar of blue light in the sky, and a bullhead soaring over the sky above them, heading towards the source. "Come on!" The trio ran towards the light themselves, watching a second red pillar erupt from a location close by, and the two pillars of red and blue light forming before dissipating completely.

* * *

 _W-Where am i?_

Ruby was on her knees in a crystal hall. All around her, outside of the hall, were pillars of light, and beyond that lay a void of emptiness. A total of twenty pillars circled her. Five of those were red, and the rest were cracked, with red and black flowing in unequal amounts. Focusing back on the hall, she realised that there were doorways. One was surrounded by a white light, and the other had darkness flowing out of it. Before the doorway of light lay a wounded wolf. Getting up, Ruby ran to the wolf. She saw the blood flowing out of its side as it whimpered and cried out in pain. Ruby fell to her knees again and held the wolf in her grasp. Tears threatened to escape her, as she continued to hold on to the whimpering wolf.

A howl brought her out of her misery. She turned her head and looked towards the dark door. A black wolf sat in front of it, howling. Brown eyes and a blue streak on its side were the most visible features of the wolf. Turning back around, Ruby was surprised to see that the white wolf was disappearing into red petals.

" _Will you become my light? Will you ground me, and fight to bring me back when I slip away into darkness?"_

Ruby's head whipped around as she stared at the wolf, wide eyed. The wolf started padding towards her.

" _In return I will become your darkness. I will protect you no matter what the cost is, and I will ensure that you stay shining bright."_

She couldn't pinpoint the location of the voice. It was everywhere within the strange area that Ruby was trapped in. "What do you mean?" She called out, hoping that… whoever it was would get the message.

" _Create a bond with me. A bond like none other. Become my light, and guide me down a good path."_

Ruby's confusion was reaching its peak. "What do you mean, become your light!?" She shouted out. The wolf walked past her and carried on walking towards the light door. Before it stepped in, the wolf sat down and looked at her, as if it was willing her to walk forward.

" _Become the good in my life. Walk through the door to light, live, and find out what I mean. Or, walk through the darkness to death, and remain curious forever."_

The ethereal voice had a sense of finality within its voice in the end. Ruby knew it wouldn't speak again. "Live or die, huh?" Ruby questioned herself. She knew exactly what she was going to do, but still thought about it. Then she stood up. "Sorry, death, but I have a promise to keep. Until next time!" She walked up to the wolf, then walked with it into the shining light. The door closed behind her, leaving her in the light. As it engulfed her, she heard a voice once more. What it said made her grin, before she slipped away into unconsciousness. And had she stayed in the hall, she would have seen two pure blue pillars light up.

" _You kept it, by the way. Thank you, my little rose."_

* * *

 _Oh great. This again._

Dale was in a crystal hallway of his own. However, whilst the amount of cracked and whole pillars were the same, the colour scheme was different, with blue instead of red.

"Hurry up and cut to the chase."

" _Will you be my darkness? Will you protect me from yourself, and others like you? Will you let me guide you?"_

Dale sighed, and turned to face the dark door. He saw a white wolf in front of him, with silver eyes and a red streak on its side. The eyes intrigued him, but he didn't put too much thought into it. "If my new 'light' can guide me to Ruby, then definitely." A feeling of determination erupted in his chest, as he got ready to find his childhood friend, and complete his promise.

" _Create a bond with me. Be the darkness I need to survive. Protect me, no matter what."_

He walked up to the wolf. Kneeling, he ran a hand through the wolf's fur. Howling, the wolf took off into the darkness. Standing back up, the teen ran after the wolf, and right into the darkness. The door closed behind him, shutting off all light behind him, and hiding the change in the room, that change being the appearance of two pillars, as they fixed themselves and changed into a pure red colour. He let unconsciousness wash over him, but not before a sentence sent his brain into overdrive as he realised who he had died next to.

" _You won't be looking for long by the way. Remember the silver eyes?"_

* * *

Yang, Weiss, and Blake ran into the clearing where the bullhead was. They saw a couple of professors carry two bodies into the aircraft, one being their leader. And the other being unknown. Running to the bullhead, they asked professor Port what was happening.

"Well ladies, your leader and an unknown person must have been attacked. Their aura is dangerously low, but they have emerged from battle unscathed. You might wish to buy some new clothes for your leader though, as clothing didn't survive. Especially on the boy. He was practically naked!" The professor laughed before walking off, allowing the teens on board. Rushing to their leader, they saw her under a cloth, unconscious but alive. A smile was seen on her face as well. Sighing in relief, the teens collapsed in tiredness next to her, ready to go to bed. Not one of them registered the fact that a wolf Faunus was laying down across from them. Or that a mark had appeared on Ruby's hand.

No one had realised that two promises were fulfilled that night.

* * *

 **Oh God that ending took so much out of me. Anywhoozies, I AM SO SORRY I DISAPPEARED FOR SO LONG! I went through a ton of crap to be honest, and I had written all of this up in note form, just not on my laptop. Then my laptop broke, drama within my personal life and school life happened, and honestly my top priority right now is sleep. He says at 2:40AM whilst typing this up. Oops? Anyway, it's finally out, and I am aiming for 10K a chapter once more, with a month or two between chapters… So be ready for me to update a year later. Also, my writing has taken a poop, so hopefully I can get back to tearing through ideas and writing them out with ease once more, instead of dying and faceplanting the keyboard multiple times. But basically…**

 **I**

 **AM**

 **BACK**

 **BABY!**

 **See y'all next chapter! Whenever that is… oops?**


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